The Superbowl of Rodeos

Not only is Las Vegas home to some of the most famous casinos in America, it is also the location of an even rowdier activity: the National Finals Rodeo, also called the "Superbowl of Rodeos". The event is organised by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and is divided up into seven main events to see who is the cream of the crop, the world champion. The tradition started in 1959, although then the competition was held in Dallas, Texas before finally setting in the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas in 1985.
 
The contest itself is based on how much money a cowboy or cowgirl has pulled in over the year in a specific event, but the competition at the finals is so intense that luck can change more quickly than what seems possible. Of course there is a special award for the person who throughout the year has competed in more than one event and won the most in those events. This lucky person gets the title World All-Round Rodeo Champion.Of course with so much money being involved in this, the champions don't last long; they are usually overtaken pretty quickly from one year to the next.

Win or lose, it takes a talented person to win one of these events since they demand a lot of physical skill and practice. Take the saddle bronc and bareback bronc riding for instance. This involves someone sitting on a horse either with a special saddle, or with none whatsoever, whilst the horse bucks around madly. No tame trotting or fast galloping here, this is about wild jumping and just trying to stay on. However, this isn't just some random event; it was something your original cowboy would have had to do when he was trying to break in wild horses.
 
Something that wasn't an old cowboy tradition is steer wrestling, which is pretty much what it sounds like; the cowboy jumps from his horse onto the steer and wrestles it to the ground. It's quite risky though, the cowboy can be easily hurt as you might imagine, and still (or should we say because of that..) it is a thrilling event to watch. An even more dangerous event is the bull riding. A cowboy sits on top of a randomly selected bull and has to stay on, but the bull jumps, twists and turn so much that 8 seconds is the minimum that the cowboy has to stay on for whilst holding on with only one hand!

A little less dangerous are the roping competitions, where those who could not tame a bull have a chance to turn their frustration towards its baby.. Calf roping and team roping, done in partners or alone, requires a great deal of riding skill just like the barrel racing event where horse and rider must ride around a set of barrels in the fastest time possible.

All of the events are thrilling, so if you are a fan of Westerns and happen to be in Vegas in the right time of year, head on over to the Vegas Rodeo in the first week of December and prepare to be wowed.